It’s time for thinking about the coming season. I wish I had started sooner but the weather and the progression of the land clearing project have not yielded anything to split and stack until this week. Logs appeared, then more logs and then the weather was glorious for the first time on my day off.
I had posted this shot of my first trek this season to the garage for wood to start a fire. This visitor was rather off-putting.
Before I could move any of the new wood in to stack and dry, I had to deal with what was left from last season. My plan was to restack the old wood and bring the new in closer to the door for maximum air flow. I gave it a week for the snake to move on, then donned gloves and stout boots. As I took apart the pile, I came across not one, not two, but four snake skins! Obviously, this was prime territory for shedding this fall.
Once the stacking was done, I looked around for an efficient way to move this:
To here:
Luckily, Patty Bunyan is a very resourceful girl, not to mention a hell of a worker. Our “red-neck” log mover proved very useful!
I’ve written often about heating with wood and winters in New Hampshire. It’s hard to believe this summer is coming to an end and it is time to address the issue once again. They say wood heats twice, once when you are cutting and stacking, once when you are burning it. For the second year I will not buy firewood, the feeling of self-sufficiency is huge. I think Paul Bunyan would be proud!
Therapeutic Misadventures 
I vote that wood heats 4 times! Cutting it, splitting it, stacking it and then (my favorite) finally burning it while sitting by the fire reading!
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Absolutely! What was I thinking? Actually, I didn’t do much splitting this year – yet! And the cutting I find is best left to someone with the skill and muscle to wield a chainsaw…
Thanks!!
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You have to love Yankee ingenuity (red-neck or not). I’ve been doing quite a bit of splitting and stacking as well. 4 skins – wow
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I’m hoping all shedding is done for this season and that my garage hasn’t become a haven for the slithery things. But, as someone commented, they at least will keep the field mouse population down, I hate sharing the house with them as well!
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I used to love everything about heating with wood and I miss it.
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I love the smell, the feeling of independence, the sound as it pops and the warmth. But it is a lot of work and dirt!
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I’m afraid being rather lazy we let the farmers do the splitting etc, we stack and then in our town setting people look a little askance at the woodpile, with a purpose built open one side shed against the fence (all recycled material). The other thing we are very glad of are the large rain harvest collectors, two at the front and two at the back. They were old fruit juice containers, huge. My husband had to crawl inside to clean them properly and fix a tap. He got stuck coming out backwards and I’m afraid all I and the grownup children could do was shake with laughter and tears, so wish I’d had a camera…
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Now that was a “Kodak Moment!”
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;-D imprinted on my mind forever!
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Well done Martha! Never underestimate the power and brains of a determined woman! 🙂 ~Terri
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And put two determined women together and the job will get done! Thanks!!
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Well done for moving all that wood. Truck or no truck it looked like hard work. I’d love an open fire but Commando doesn’t agree so the fireplace stays firmly blocked with a gas fire. Do you plant trees to replace the cut ones or is there a finite amount of wood waiting to warm your winters?
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The amount seems infinite at the moment…I have enough for this year and probably most of next year with what is currently cut. The forest will replenish itself over time and because the soil is so thin on our “granite” state, they will only get so big before needing to be taken down. Hard to believe at one time this was all fields.
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